March 5, 2018 - The Panola College men’s basketball team split their region games this past week. On Wednesday, the Ponies defeated Bossier Parish and fell to Paris on Saturday. After this week’s action, Panola finishes the regular season at 19-11 and 11-8 in Region 14 play. “We had a good week. We played well in both games and came up short against Paris. I think our guys are mentally prepared for the regional tournament next week.” Head Coach Grant McMillan stated.
On Wednesday, Panola hosted Bossier Parish. In a seesaw first half, Panola began to pull away using a 13-2 run to end the half taking a 42-31 lead. The Ponies maintained their lead the entire second half. Bossier Parish never threatened en route to the 82-68 victory. Marlon Taylor led Panola in scoring with 30 points.
Saturday afternoon, Panola went to Paris Junior College and fell behind late in the first half trailing at halftime, 48-40. The Ponies fought back to take a 76-70 lead with under 6:00 minutes remaining but couldn’t hold on. Paris hit a three pointer with 1.8 seconds remaining taking an 85-82 lead. Panola’s three point attempt to tie the ball came fell short. Taylor led the Ponies in scoring with 29 points.
Panola now competes in the Region 14 conference tournament. They have been awarded the sixth overall seed. The Ponies will take on Coastal Bend College at 8:00 PM in Jacksonville, Texas. The game will be played at the Jacksonville ISD gymnasium. More details regarding the tournament can be found at the following website: http://www.jacksonville-college.edu/region-xiv-championship-tournament
